St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-11
THE STAINED RING,
How Jessie Rue Learned the DIFF.
ference Between Two Men.

Jessie Rue was 80. The sun of that
birthday had just risen, and she stood
before her looking-glaSS fastening i'm her
ears and about her dainty wrists the
pearls that had been her uncle's gift the
night before.
Pinning coquettish little bow i'm her
hair, Jessie left the glass and ran down
stairs and out into the garden, where she
always spent an hour before breakfast.
a gentleman was there already pleas
ant-looking man, who wore large hat
OF Panama straw and collar that ex-
posed his handsome throat.
''Good-morning, Miss Rue, DIR. Manly
cried, taking off his big hat. u have
come to beg some flowers for patient
You must always help yourself to
flowers for your sick folk, and L shall be
prouder of my garden than BEFORE" said
Jessie. LEND me your knife"
And when he had opened it for her she
cut him bouquet, fragrant and beauti-
ful, and arranged it with unerring taste,
and made him hold it while she bound
it together with some silk from a reel
she had in her embroidered apron pocket
he looking at her with admiration all
the while. When at last he thanked her
and went away Jessie laughed.
Il don't believe in your patient, DIR.
Manly" she said to herself. 1t was only
an excuse to see me-"
And she thought SO every morning
when he came for her flowers She saw
him eftenest in the morning. Ashley
Honeywell she met when she visited at
teas and dancing parties. How often
Jessie wished the two men could he
changed in some way. Ashley was the
man she intended to choose, but some
times that light in the dark-gray eyes
II OF, 5,,f l..
her wish that he was Ashley and Ashley
he.
Time passed. Some little things hap
pened. Ashley had openly declared his
admiration. They were on the very
point OF being engaged, and the doctor
suddenly ceased to be 1overlike. He
came for the flowers still, but she knew
now that he did not do it that he might
meet her. He took them to patient.
Once, taking a long walk, she had
paused at a little cottage on the road
side to ask for a drink of cool well water,
and had seen, III great chair near the
door, girl as lovely as an angel. though
she was evidently still quite ill. Near
her, i'll a great glass pitcher, stood bOu-
Duet of flowers that Jessie thought she
recognized as those she had plucked
that morning in her own garden.
''IhoSe flowers are beautiful, are they
notS'' the sick girl asked of Jessie, while
the little boy ran for water. "a dear
friend brings them to me every day. He
says lady has told him 1 may have all
j want. He brings them a long way.
The lady must be very rich, I think. I
fancy her old, white-haired- somethin
like my grandmother in her pretty lace
cap. / have all sorts of fancies in this
invalid chair"
Then the nurse came in and Jessie
said good-by.
He has not even described me-" she
thought; land, oh, how lovely the girl
is!'' and then she found herself CRYING
That evening she engaged herself to
Ashley Honeywell.
The doctor came for his flowers: she
picked them for him, but she did not
smile as she used, nor did he look infn
chr eyes. With every motion of the
ahnd that held the flowers which she
uct he saw the flash of Ashley Honey